Methods and systems of managing parking space occupancy

ABSTRACT

A method of calculating a parking fee in a public parking space based on coordinating a transfer of a parking space between vehicles and automatically decreasing the fee accordingly, comprising: creating a command to continuously increase a calculated parking fee for a parked vehicle currently occupying a public parking space, based on duration of the occupying; receiving a message from a client terminal associated with the parked vehicle, the message includes a notification of future departure of the parked vehicle from the public parking space; selecting an arriving vehicle to occupy the public parking space when the parked vehicle is departing, based on an estimated time of the future departure and a current location of the arriving vehicle; and creating a command to halt the increasing of the calculated parking fee before identifying a transfer of the public parking space.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/469,536 filed on Mar. 26, 2017, which is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP)of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IL2015/050976 having InternationalFiling Date of Sep. 24, 2015, which claims the benefit of priority under35 USC § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/055,678filed on Sep. 26, 2014. The contents of the above applications are allincorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein in theirentirety.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates tomanagement of parking space occupancy and, more particularly, but notexclusively, to coordinated parking space transfer, based on arrival anddeparture times of vehicles.

Conventional parking meters are widely used to control vehicular parkingand to encourage turnover in limited parking areas. These parking metersalso provide a substantial source of income to the municipality or otherorganization using such meters. Some newer meters now provide printedreceipts.

Alternatively, a number of municipalities have adopted the use ofparking coupons. The coupons have tear out sections which indicate thedate and the expiration time of a particular parking period, and thecoupons being displayed from inside of the vehicle by wedging the couponinto the upper end of a closed window.

Other municipalities have adopted the use of parking location sensorsmounted in, near or on the surface of the parking location. The sensornotifies a central control unit of the presence or absence of a vehiclein the parking location.

Yet other municipalities have adopted the use of a time metering devicethat is useful as a prepaid in car electronic parking meter card. Thedevice is a unitary electronic card purchased in advance by the user toprovide a pre-purchased time period value that may be used as and whendesired by the user for parking his vehicle. The card has buttons toselect the type of parking zone required, a timer clock showing theamount of purchased time remaining on the card, and switches to startand stop the timer clock. Thus, the user pays for only the actual timethat a vehicle occupies a parking space. The card device is displayedwithin the vehicle during the time the vehicle occupies the parkinglocation.

Another method of monitoring and assessing a fee for parking a vehiclein a toll parking location includes providing indication for a tollparking location and unique indication for a vehicle to be positioned inthat parking location. The user notifies a central control unit thelocation indication, the vehicle unique indication, and the start timeof parking the vehicle in the location. Later, the user notifies acentral control unit the vehicle unique indication, and the finish timeof parking the vehicle in the location. The central control unit thenassesses a fee to the user for the duration of time the vehicle occupiedthe parking location.

Some applications for mobile devices includes monitoring of availableparking spaces and of vehicles that are departing a parking space. Someof these applications present a map of these parking spaces to a driverof a vehicle searching for parking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a method of coordinating a transfer of a parking spacebetween vehicles based on location of client terminals and calculatedestimation of arrival times, comprising: monitoring locations of aplurality of client terminals, each associated with a vehicle occupyinga public parking space, via a location sensor of each of the pluralityof client terminals; estimating a departure time of each of theplurality of vehicles from of each the corresponding public parkingspace; receiving a request from an arriving client terminal to find aparking space for an arriving vehicle associated with the arrivingclient terminal; estimating an arrival time of the arriving vehicle toeach of the plurality of public parking spaces based on a currentlocation of the arriving client terminal; matching between the arrivingclient terminal and a departing client terminal of the plurality ofclient terminals, based on correlation between the estimated departuretime of a departing vehicle associated with the departing clientterminal from a selected public parking space currently occupied by thedeparting vehicle, and the estimated arrival time of the arrivingvehicle to the selected public parking space; and identifying a transferof the public parking space from the departing vehicle to the arrivingvehicle.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a method of coordinating a transfer of a parking spacebetween vehicles based on location of client terminals and calculatedestimation of arrival times, comprising: monitoring locations of aplurality of client terminals, each associated with a vehicle occupyinga public parking space, via a location sensor of each of the pluralityof client terminals; estimating a departure time of each of theplurality of vehicles from each the corresponding public parking space;receiving a request from an arriving client terminal to find a parkingspace for an arriving vehicle associated with the arriving clientterminal; estimating an arrival time of the arriving vehicle to each ofthe plurality of public parking spaces based on a current location ofthe arriving client terminal; matching between the arriving clientterminal and a departing client terminal of the plurality of clientterminals, based on correlation between the estimated departure time ofa departing vehicle associated with the departing client terminal from aselected public parking space currently occupied by the departingvehicle, and the estimated arrival time of the arriving vehicle to theselected public parking space; and sending instructions to arrivingclient terminal for driving to a location of the public parking space,wherein the instructions are adjusted so that an actual arrival time ofthe arriving vehicle to the selected public parking space is closer tothe estimated departure time than the estimated arrival time. Thisallows better accuracy in meeting time between the vehicles andminimizes waiting time.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a method of coordinating a transfer of a parking spacebetween vehicles based on location of client terminals and calculatedestimation of arrival times, comprising: monitoring locations of aplurality of client terminals, each associated with a vehicle occupyinga public parking space, via a location sensor of each of the pluralityof client terminals; estimating a departure time of each of theplurality of vehicles from each the corresponding public parking space;receiving a request from an arriving client terminal to find a parkingspace for an arriving vehicle associated with the arriving clientterminal; estimating an arrival time of the arriving vehicle to each ofthe plurality of public parking spaces based on a current location ofthe arriving client terminal; matching between the arriving clientterminal and a departing client terminal of the plurality of clientterminals associated with a departing vehicle currently occupying aselected public parking space; sending instructions to arriving clientterminal for driving to a location of the departing client terminal; andsending instructions to arriving client terminal for driving to alocation of the public parking space. This provides certainty for thearriving driver that the parking spot is reserved for him, and alsominimizes or even eliminates potential waiting time.

Optionally, the estimating of departure time is done according to adistance of a current location of each of the plurality of clientterminals from each the corresponding public parking space. This isbased on an estimation of the driver's arrival time to his parkedvehicle.

Optionally, the estimating of an arrival time is done according to atleast one of distance and traffic load of a current location of thearriving client terminal from each of the plurality of public parkingspaces. This is based on estimated driving time to each potentialparking spot.

Optionally, the method further comprises: creating a command tocontinuously increase a calculated parking fee for the departingvehicle, based on duration of occupying the public parking space;receiving confirmation from the arriving client terminal to occupy theselected public parking space; and creating a command to halt theincreasing of the calculated parking fee before identifying the transferof the public parking space. This creates an incentive for the driver ofthe parked vehicle to find an arriving vehicle, as it may decrease hisparking fee.

Optionally, the method further comprises: receiving a message from oneof the plurality of client terminals, the message includes anotification of future departure of the associated parked vehicle fromthe corresponding public parking space and used for the matching.

Optionally, the method further comprises: presenting the locations ofthe plurality of client terminals in a user interface of the arrivingclient terminal so a location may be selected.

More optionally, the user interface includes a map of the locations ofthe plurality of client terminals.

More optionally, the user interface further includes the estimateddeparture times of each of the plurality of vehicles.

Optionally, the method further comprises: sending a location of theselected public parking space to the arriving client terminal to bepresented in a user interface on a screen of the arriving clientterminal.

Optionally, the matching includes finding an estimated departure timewhich is earlier than the estimated arrival time, so the parked vehicleis waiting for the arriving vehicle.

More optionally, a user of the departing client terminal is asked towait for the arrival of the arriving vehicle, so the selected publicparking space is not occupied by another vehicle before the arrival.

Optionally, the matching is done according to a selection made by atleast one of a user of the departing client terminal and a user of thearriving client terminal.

Optionally, the matching includes bidding by a plurality of users ofarriving client terminals on the selected public parking space.

Optionally, the matching is further based on prioritizing the arrivingclient terminal based on accumulated credit of the arriving clientterminal.

Optionally, the matching is further based on predetermined parking endtime, when a user of the arriving client terminal is committed to removethe arriving vehicle from the selected public parking space.

Optionally, the method further comprises: providing a communicationmethod between the departing client terminal and the arriving clientterminal to coordinate transfer of the selected public parking space.

Optionally, the method further comprises: presenting commercial contenton a screen of at least one of the departing client terminal and thearriving client terminal, based on the location of the selected publicparking space.

According to some embodiments of the invention there is provided anon-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded withinstructions that, when loaded into a computer, establish a machineperforming a computer-implemented method.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a method of calculating a parking fee in a publicparking space based on coordinating a transfer of a parking spacebetween vehicles and automatically decreasing the fee accordingly,comprising: creating a command to continuously increase a calculatedparking fee for a parked vehicle currently occupying a public parkingspace, based on duration of the occupying; receiving a message from aclient terminal associated with the parked vehicle, the message includesa notification of future departure of the parked vehicle from the publicparking space; selecting an arriving vehicle to occupy the publicparking space when the parked vehicle is departing, based on anestimated time of the future departure and a current location of anarriving client terminal associated with the arriving vehicle; andcreating a command to halt the increasing of the calculated parking feebefore identifying the transfer of the public parking space. Thiscreates an incentive for the driver of the parked vehicle to find anarriving vehicle, as it may decrease his parking fee.

Optionally, the halting also includes creating a command to continuouslyincrease a calculated parking fee for the arriving vehicle, so thearriving driver pays for having a parking spot found.

Optionally, the halting is done according to a time of the message.

Optionally, the halting is done according to a time of the selecting.

Optionally, the method further comprises: sending a location of thepublic parking space to the arriving client terminal to be presented ina user interface on a screen of the arriving client terminal.

Optionally, the method further comprises: receiving confirmation fromthe arriving client terminal to occupy the public parking space.

More optionally, the halting is done according to a time of theconfirmation.

Optionally, the halting also includes continuously decreasing thecalculated parking fee. This creates further incentive for the driver ofthe parked vehicle to find an arriving vehicle and/or to continuewaiting for the arriving vehicle.

Optionally, the method further comprises: when a transfer of the publicparking space is not performed, the halting is canceled. This creates anincentive for the driver of the parked vehicle to wait for thecompletion of the successful transfer.

Optionally, the commands are sent to a billing system.

According to some embodiments of the invention there is provided anon-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded withinstructions that, when loaded into a computer, establish a machineperforming the method.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a system of calculating a parking fee in a publicparking space based on coordinating a transfer of a parking spacebetween vehicles according to location of client terminals andcalculated estimation of arrival times, comprising: a program storestoring code; and a processor coupled to the interface and the programstore for implementing the stored code, the code comprising: code tocreate a command to continuously increase a calculated parking fee for aparked vehicle currently occupying a public parking space, based onduration of the occupying; code to receive a message from a clientterminal associated with the parked vehicle, the message includes anotification of future departure of the parked vehicle from the publicparking space; code to select an arriving vehicle to occupy the publicparking space when the parked vehicle is departing, based on anestimated time of the future departure and a current location of anarriving client terminal associated with the arriving vehicle; and codeto create a command to halt the increasing of the calculated parking feebefore identifying a transfer of the public parking space.

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present inventionthere is provided a system of coordinating a transfer of a parking spacebetween vehicles based on location of client terminals and calculatedestimation of arrival times, comprising: an interface for communicatingwith a plurality of client terminals, each associated with a vehicleoccupying a public parking space; a program store storing code; and aprocessor coupled to the interface and the program store forimplementing the stored code, the code comprising: code to monitorlocations of the plurality of client terminals via a location sensor ofeach of the plurality of client terminals; code to estimate a departuretime of each of the plurality of vehicles from each the correspondingpublic parking space; code to estimate an arrival time of the arrivingvehicle to each of the plurality of public parking spaces based on acurrent location of the arriving client terminal; code to match betweenthe arriving client terminal and a departing client terminal of theplurality of client terminals, based on correlation between theestimated departure time of a departing vehicle associated with thedeparting client terminal from a selected public parking space currentlyoccupied by the departing vehicle, and the estimated arrival time of thearriving vehicle to the selected public parking space; and code toidentify a transfer of the public parking space from the departingvehicle to the arriving vehicle.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and/or scientific terms usedherein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinaryskill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used inthe practice or testing of embodiments of the invention, exemplarymethods and/or materials are described below. In case of conflict, thepatent specification, including definitions, will control. In addition,the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are notintended to be necessarily limiting.

Implementation of the method and/or system of embodiments of theinvention can involve performing or completing selected tasks manually,automatically, or a combination thereof. Moreover, according to actualinstrumentation and equipment of embodiments of the method and/or systemof the invention, several selected tasks could be implemented byhardware, by software or by firmware or by a combination thereof usingan operating system.

For example, hardware for performing selected tasks according toembodiments of the invention could be implemented as a chip or acircuit. As software, selected tasks according to embodiments of theinvention could be implemented as a plurality of software instructionsbeing executed by a computer using any suitable operating system. In anexemplary embodiment of the invention, one or more tasks according toexemplary embodiments of method and/or system as described herein areperformed by a data processor, such as a computing platform forexecuting a plurality of instructions. Optionally, the data processorincludes a volatile memory for storing instructions and/or data and/or anon-volatile storage, for example, a magnetic hard-disk and/or removablemedia, for storing instructions and/or data. Optionally, a networkconnection is provided as well. A display and/or a user input devicesuch as a keyboard or mouse are optionally provided as well.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the invention are herein described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specificreference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that theparticulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrativediscussion of embodiments of the invention. In this regard, thedescription taken with the drawings makes apparent to those skilled inthe art how embodiments of the invention may be practiced.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart schematically representing a method forcoordinating a transfer of a parking space between vehicles, accordingto some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a system of coordinating atransfer of a parking space between vehicles and/or calculating aparking fee in a public parking space, according to some embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary user interface ofarriving client terminal 215, according to some embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart schematically representing a method forcalculating a parking fee in a public parking space, according to someembodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a system for calculating a parkingfee in a public parking space, according to some embodiments of thepresent invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates tomanagement of parking space occupancy and, more particularly, but notexclusively, to coordinated parking space transfer, based on arrival anddeparture times of vehicles.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, there areprovided methods and systems for coordinating a transfer of a parkingspace between vehicles, based on at least current location andcoordination of departure and arrival times of the vehicles. A server isconnected to multiple client terminals, such as mobile smartphones andnetwork connected infotainment devices, each associated with a vehicle,for example driven by a user of the client terminal. The server monitorsthe location of each client terminal, which is determined by a locationsensor of the client terminal, and/or monitors the location of thevehicle associated with the client terminal, parked in a public parkingspace. The server estimates departure times of vehicles from the publicparking spaces and arrival times of vehicles of users looking for aparking space to these public parking spaces. The server then matchesbetween a departing vehicle and an arriving vehicle based on correlationof the estimated times, to coordinate a transfer of the parking space.Optionally, instructions for driving to the parking space are sent tothe arriving client terminal. The instructions may be adjusted (forexample by taking a longer route and/or a route with less traffic load)so the arrival time is closer to the departure time of the departingvehicle to allows better accuracy in meeting time and minimizes oreliminates waiting time. Optionally, the arriving vehicle is firstinstructed to arrive to the location of the departing client terminal,to pick up the driver of the departing vehicle and drive him to theparking spot. This provides certainty for the arriving driver that theparking spot is reserved for him, and also eliminates potential waitingtime.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, there isprovided a method for calculating a parking fee in a public parkingspace. When a match is made between a departing vehicle and an arrivingvehicle, the fee for the public parking space stops increasing for thedeparting vehicle, and is optionally paid by the user of the arrivingvehicle, for example from the moment of the match, before an actualtransfer of the parking space between the vehicles is actually made.This creates an incentive for the driver of the departing vehicle tofind an arriving vehicle to replace him and also to wait if necessary,as it may decrease his parking fee. The driver of the arriving vehiclemay be willing to pay the increased fee in order to ensure that aparking spot is available for him when he arrives.

The methods and systems according to some embodiments of the presentinvention may be combined with existing systems and/or devices relatedto parking, such as described by the Applicant in U.S. Pat. No6,243,029.

According to some researches, approximately 30 percent of vehiclesdriving in large cities at a given moment are drivers searching for aparking space. On average, each driver may spend more than 10 minutescircling to find parking. This creates more pollution and extra trafficload. Implementation of some embodiments of the present invention maydecrease this traffic and pollution by allowing drivers to drivedirectly to an available parking space.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, itis to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited in itsapplication to the details of construction and the arrangement of thecomponents and/or methods set forth in the following description and/orillustrated in the drawings and/or the Examples. The invention iscapable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out invarious ways.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a flowchart schematicallyrepresenting a method for coordinating a transfer of a parking spacebetween vehicles and/or calculating a parking fee in a public parkingspace, based on current location and a correlation between estimateddeparture and arrival times of the vehicles, according to someembodiments of the present invention. Reference is also made to FIG. 2,which is a schematic illustration of a system of coordinating a transferof a parking space between vehicles, according to some embodiments ofthe present invention.

The presented method and system provide a solution to the problem ofefficiently and quickly locating parking spaces for vehicles in highdemand areas such as central cities, and the challenge of alertingdrivers of potentially available parking spaces. The solution includesestimation of departure and arrival times based on locations ofassociated client terminals, such as mobile smartphones, and automaticmatching of departing and arriving vehicles for a transfer of theparking space. The indication of a match and of the potentiallyavailable parking space is transmitted to the client terminals over anetwork. The solution also includes an easy way of transferring thepayment of parking fees, from the moment of the match, thus providing anincentive for departing drivers to match with arriving drivers andtransfer the parking space.

System 200 includes a server 201, connected via a network 202 tomultiple client terminals, each associated with a vehicle, for example avehicle that is owned or driven by the user of each client terminal.

A vehicle may include, for example, a car such as economy car, compactcar, executive car, sports car, minivan, van and/or sports utilityvehicle (SUV), a larger vehicle such as a bus, and/or truck, smallervehicles such as a motorcycle and/or any other vehicle that may beparked in a parking space.

Server 201 may include one or more computing devices, for example, amainframe computer, an enterprise server, a workstation, multipleconnected computers, one or more virtual machines and/or a personalcomputer.

Network 202 may include, for example, local area network (LAN), awireless network such as mobile network, wireless local area network(WLAN) such as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi™), a wireless personal areanetwork (WPAN) such as Bluetooth™ protocol, near-field communication(NFC) and/or any other network.

A client terminal may include, for example, a mobile device such as asmartphone, a tablet, a wearable device such as Google glass, a Smartwatch, a laptop computer, one or more virtual machines, and/or anyelectronic device that has one or more network communication modules,such as a network card or chip. Each client terminal includes a locationsensor which determines the geographic location of the client terminal.This may be done, for example, by a global positioning system (GPS)device, by cellular network positioning, by WiFi networks and/or by anyother method and/or combination thereof. Optionally, the location sensoralso determines the speed of the client terminal, for example by a speedsensor and/or by continuously monitoring the geographic location of theclient terminal. Optionally, due to inaccuracy of the location sensor,calculated locations and/or times may not be accurate. This may bepresented to the user of client terminal as a warning before using thesystem. Optionally, when the vehicle is autonomous, the client terminalmay be included in the vehicle's computer and/or may be connected to thevehicle's computer.

When a client terminal is located in a vehicle, the location of theclient terminal indicated the location of the vehicle. When a clientterminal is located outside the vehicle, the location of the clientterminal may indicate the distance of the user of the client terminalfrom the vehicle, which may be parked at a known parking space. This maybe discovered for example, by an indication from the user of the clientterminal and/or by the location and/or speed of movement of the clientterminal. For example, when the average speed of movement of the clientterminal is a driving speed, such as between 15 kilometers per hour(km/h) and 50 km/h and the client terminal is located on a road, theclient terminal is assumed to be in the vehicle. For example, when theclient terminal is substantially stationary for a period of time aftermoving in a driving speed, the client terminal may be assumed to be in aparked vehicle. The location of the parked vehicle (as opposed to thelocation of the client terminal) may be determined, for example, by thelocation of the client terminal when the car was parked and/or based ona known location of the public parking space.

First, as shown at 101, the location of multiple client terminals, forexample client terminals 211-214, is determined by the location sensorsof client terminals 211-214, and monitored by server 201 via network202. Each of client terminals 211-214 is associated with a parkedvehicle 221-224 currently occupying a public parking space.

A public parking space may include a street parking space managed by thecity, a parking space inside a public parking lot, a private parkingspace or a privately owned parking lot offered for temporary orpermanent public use and/or any other space offered for parking avehicle.

Optionally, client terminals 211-214 are used by users who are membersof a group, for example, residents of a neighborhood or a buildingand/or members of a parking program.

Optionally, the locations of client terminals 211-214 are stored in adataset 203 of server 201. Dataset 203 may be any kind of structureddata collection that allows access to stored data. Dataset 203 may bestored, for example, in a digital data storage unit such as a magneticdrive and/or a solid state drive. Database 203 may also be, for example,a content delivery network or content distribution network (CDN) is alarge distributed system of servers deployed in multiple data centersacross the Internet.

Optionally, as shown at 103, a message is received by server 201 from aclient terminal 211 associated with a parked vehicle 221, that includesa notification of future departure of parked vehicle 221 from the publicparking space. The message may also include an estimated departure timeentered by the user of client terminal 211. For example, an interfacemay be presented to the user on the screen of client terminal 211 havinga user interface with an input method for entering an estimateddeparture time. The user interface may also include an option to open abidding process over the parking space.

Then, as shown at 104, an estimated departure time is determined forparked vehicle 221 from the public parking space. This may be done, forexample, based on the current distance of client terminal 211 fromvehicle 221, according to statistic past departure times of vehicle 221and/or other vehicles and/or according to a predetermined departure timeentered by the user of client terminal 211 at an earlier time or asindicated in a message received by server 201 that includes anotification of future departure. Optionally, an estimated departuretime is determined for some or all of parked vehicles 221-224 from eachpublic parking space.

Also, optionally, as shown at 105, the location of multiple clientterminals, for example 215-218, is also determined by the locationsensors of client terminals 215-218, and also monitored by server 201via network 202. Each of client terminals 215-218 is associated with avehicle 225-228 currently moving, and may be requiring a parking space.

Then, optionally, as shown at 106, the locations of some or all ofparked vehicles 221-224 are presented in a user interface on the screensof some or all of client terminals 215-218. The locations may bepresented, for example, on a map that includes markings indicating thelocations of the parking space occupied by parked vehicles 221-224. Themarkings may include, for example, a letter, a number, a symbol, acolored shape and/or any other mark. Optionally, the estimated departuretimes of some or all of parked vehicles 221-224 are also presented inthe user interface.

Then, optionally, as shown at 107, a request is received by server 201from an arriving client terminal 115 to find a parking space for anarriving vehicle 225 associated with arriving client terminal 115.Optionally, the request may be received in advance for a later time, forexample one day before a planned drive. The message may also include adesired area of the parking space. This may be indicated by the user ofclient terminal 115, for example by selecting a location point on a mappresented in a user interface on the screen of client terminal 115 andselecting a desired perimeter from the location point. This may also bedone automatically by client terminal 115, for example based on alocation indicated in a navigation system and/or according to previousdrives. Optionally, the message may include a preferred location ofarrival and optionally a maximal distance from the location for adesired parking.

Optionally, client terminal 115 may be a part of and/or connected to anautomatic driver system, for example in a driverless vehicle. Thecurrent location of client terminal 115 may also be selected as thelocation point.

Then, as shown at 108, an estimated arrival time is determined forarriving vehicle 225 to some or all of the locations of the parkingspace occupied by parked vehicles 221-224. The estimated arrival time isdetermined, for example, according to the current location of arrivingvehicle 225 and based on driving algorithms estimating traffic times.Optionally, the estimated arrival time is determined according toprevious arrival times of arriving vehicle 225, for example when aperson drives to work every day. Optionally, an estimated arrival timeis determined for some or all of vehicles 225-228, each to some or allof the locations of the parking space occupied by parked vehicles221-224.

Optionally, the locations of some or all of arriving vehicles 225-228are presented in a user interface on the screens of some or all ofclient terminals 211-214. The locations may be presented, for example,on a map that includes markings indicating the current locations ofarriving vehicles 225-228, as described above, and may also include theestimated arrival times of each of arriving vehicles 225-228 to therelevant parking space of each of parked vehicles 221-224. Optionally,the map also includes parked vehicles 221-224 and may also be presentedin a user interface on the screens of some or all of client terminals215-218. Optionally, parked vehicles 221-224 and arriving vehicles225-228 are differentiated by color, for example blue for arrivingvehicles and green for parked vehicles. Optionally, the color of thepresented vehicles may change according to the status and/or time, forexample, the color of a parked vehicle may gradually change from blue tored when the time for departure from the public parking space isapproaching.

Then, as shown at 109, a matching is made between departing clientterminal 211 and arriving client terminal 215, so that arriving vehicle225 is to occupy the public parking space currently occupied bydeparting vehicle 221. The matching is based on correlation between theestimated departure time of departing vehicle 221 and the estimatedarrival time of arriving vehicle 225 to the public parking spaceoccupied by departing vehicle 221.

Optionally, the matching is done by finding the most similar estimateddeparture time and estimated arrival time of parked vehicles 221-224 andarriving vehicles 225-228. Optionally, the matching is done by findingan estimated departure time which is earlier than an estimated arrivaltime, so the parked vehicle is waiting for the arriving vehicle.Optionally, when the estimated departure time of departing vehicle 221is earlier than the estimated arrival time of arriving vehicle 225, theuser of departing client terminal 211 is asked to wait for the arrivalof arriving vehicle 225, so the parking space is not occupied by anothervehicle before the arrival of arriving vehicle 225.

Optionally, the matching is done based on the preferred locationindicated by the user of arriving client terminal 215, for example bysearching first in an area closest to the preferred location and when amatch is not found, searching in a larger distance from the preferredlocation. This may be repeated until the maximal distance defined by theuser of arriving client terminal 215 is searched.

Optionally, in order to achieve a seamless match, communication ispossible between arriving client terminal 215 and departing clientterminal 211 to alert to any changing road or other conditions.Optionally, identification details are provided to the user of arrivingclient terminal 215 and/or to the user of departing client terminal 211,for example a partial plate number, color and/or type of departingvehicle 221 and/or arriving vehicle 225 respectively.

Optionally, the matching is done by the user of arriving client terminal215, by selecting a parking space from the marked parking spacespresented on the screen of arriving client terminal 215. Optionally, thematching is done by the user of departing client terminal 211, byselecting arriving vehicle 225 from the ones presented on the screen ofdeparting client terminal 211.

Optionally, the matching is also based on sizes of departing vehicle221, arriving vehicle 225 and/or the parking space. The sizes ofvehicles may be received, for example, from a database located in amemory of server 201, as described for dataset 203 and/or at a remoteserver or network. The size of departing vehicle 221 may be indicatedwhen a match is searched, and only arriving vehicles of the same orsmaller sizes are matched. For example, when departing vehicle 221 is anSUV, the probability of a match is increased, so a small arrivingvehicle 225 such as a mini-car may be matched and also larger vehicles.Optionally, categories are used for defining vehicle sizes and potentialproblem, for example, a standard vehicle size, a larger than averagevehicle and a smaller than average vehicle. Optionally, the number ofeffective parking spots on a street is calculated based on sizes ofcurrently parked vehicles, for example, when large vehicles arecurrently parked, less effective parking spots may be available fortransfer to arriving vehicles.

Optionally, a waiting list for a parking space is created of thearriving vehicles which may be matched with departing vehicle 221. Whena match is canceled, for example by the user of arriving client terminal215, another arriving vehicle may be matched with departing vehicle 221to occupy the parking space. The existence of the waiting list and/orthe waiting list itself may be presented or not presented to the user ofarriving client terminal 215 and/or the user of departing clientterminal 211.

Optionally, the matching includes bidding over a parking space. Forexample, the marked parking space of departing vehicle 221 that ispresented on the screen of arriving client terminal 215 includes areward suggestion such as time value, and/or an option for the user ofarriving client terminal 215 to suggest a reward for the parking space.For example, the user of arriving client terminal 215 may suggest aprice to reward for a parking space, for example at a certain area, andthe user of departing client terminal 211 may answer to the bid andsuggest to transfer the parking space of departing vehicle 221 toarriving vehicle 225. The reward may be paid, for example, to the userof departing client terminal 211, may be reduces from the calculatedparking fee for departing vehicle 221, may be added to a parking feethat is to be calculated for arriving vehicle 225 and/or may be creditedto the user of departing client terminal 211 in points and/or any othermethod. Optionally, the bid may include an increase of the parking feefor arriving vehicle 225 and decrease of the parking fee for departingvehicle 221 at the amount of the fee or at a different rate, such asdouble or triple the fee based on the time between the match and thetransfer of the parking space. Optionally, the reward may be decided bythe user of departing client terminal 211, may be limited or defined bythe municipality and/or may be defined according to current parkingdemand.

Optionally, the matching is also based on accumulated credit or pointsin the system. For example, a priority for matching is given to a userof an arriving client terminal having more credit or points, a priorityfor matching is paid for by a user of an arriving client terminal usingcredit or points and/or the possibility to find a match is only allowedto a user of an arriving client terminal having a certain amount ofcredit or points. Points may be allocated, for example, based on thenumber of successful and/or smoothness of transfers of public parkingspaces.

Optionally, the matching is also based on predetermined parking time.For example, a user of a departing client terminal 211 matches only witha user of an arriving client terminal 215 that is committed to departfrom the parking space at a specific time. For example, a match is madefor transferring the parking space at 8:00 and a commitment is made totransfer back at 19:00.

Optionally, the matching is made between departing client terminal 211and arriving client terminal 215 directly via peer-to-peer (P2P)communication, without sending information to server 201. For example,arriving client terminal 215 is connected to client terminals 211-214and selects the parking space of departing vehicle 221.

Optionally, a suggested match is given a score, indicating the qualityof the match, for example according to the similarity between theestimated arrival time and estimated departure time. Optionally, when amatch with better score is found by server 201, it is suggested to theusers instead of existing suggested match and/or automatically replaced.Optionally, a change is limited, for example by a certain time beforethe departure time of departing vehicle 221 and/or the arrival time ofarriving vehicle 225, for example 2 minutes before the predicteddeparture time.

Then, as shown at 110, the location of departing vehicle 221 is sent toarriving client terminal 215 from server 201, to indicate the matching.The location of departing vehicle 221 is presented on the screen ofarriving client terminal 215.

Optionally, as shown at 113, driving instructions for navigating to thelocation of departing vehicle 221 are presented on the screen ofarriving client terminal 215.

Optionally, instructions to the location of departing vehicle 221 arealso presented on the screen of departing client terminal 211, forexample when the user of departing client terminal 211 forgets thelocation of departing vehicle 221.

Optionally, an indication may be presented on the screen of departingclient terminal 211 to indicate a recommended time for starting to movetoward departing vehicle 221, calculated based on an estimated walkingtime from the current location of departing client terminal 211 todeparting vehicle 221 and the estimated arrival time of arriving vehicle225, to minimize waiting time. Optionally, the estimated arrival time todeparting vehicle 221 may be based on previous days, for example whenthe user departing client terminal 211 leaves every morning and the timeit take for him to leave the house is similar each day. Optionally, theuser of departing client terminal 211 and/or to the user of arrivingclient terminal 215 may cancel the matching. Optionally, cancellation islimited, for example by a certain time and/or distance before thedeparture time of departing vehicle 221 and/or the arrival time ofarriving vehicle 225, for example 2 minutes before the predicteddeparture time.

Then, optionally, as shown at 111, confirmation is received by server201 from arriving client terminal 215, indicating that the user ofarriving client terminal 215 intends to bring arriving vehicle 225 tooccupy the public parking space. Optionally, confirmation is alsoreceived by server 201 from departing client terminal 211 confirmingthat departing vehicle 221 is departing from the public parking space inthe estimated departure time.

Then, optionally, when the user of departing client terminal 211 isstill far from the public parking space and departing vehicle 221,arriving vehicle 225 may drive him to departing vehicle 221. Optionally,as shown at 112, driving instructions for navigating to the location ofclient terminal 211 are sent from server 201 to arriving client terminal215 and presented on the screen of arriving client terminal 215, andthen, as shown at 112, driving instructions for navigating to thelocation of departing vehicle 221 are sent from server 201 to arrivingclient terminal 215 and presented. Optionally, the user of arrivingclient terminal 215 may be presented with an option to drive the user ofdeparting client terminal 211 to departing vehicle 221 or wait until hearrives.

Optionally, the driving instructions that are presented on the screen ofarriving client terminal 215 are adjusted so the actual arrival time ofarriving vehicle 225 is closer to the estimated departure time ofdeparting vehicle 221 than the original estimated arrival time. Forexample, a longer route and/or a route with more traffic load may beinstructed for arriving vehicle 225 to match the estimated departuretime. Optionally, the driving instructions are automatically updatedwhen the estimated departure time is updated.

Optionally, when the public parking space is inside a public parkinglot, server 201 may be connected to a system operating the gate of saidpublic parking space, to allow arriving vehicle 225 to enter the parkinglot and/or allow departing vehicle 221 to exit the parking lot. Forexample, when a match is made, the details of arriving vehicle 225 aretransferred to the gate system via a message, and the gate is openedwhen arriving vehicle 225 arrives. The identification of arrivingvehicle 225 and/or departing vehicle 221 may be done, for example, bylocation of arriving client terminal 215 and/or departing clientterminal 211, by identification of the vehicles' number plates forexample by camera, and/or by any other method.

Optionally, a communication method is provided to the user of departingclient terminal 211 and/or to the user of arriving client terminal 215,so they can easily coordinate the transfer of the public parking space.For example, a phone number of one user is provided to the other userand/or a chat option is opened between the two users.

Optionally, the user of departing client terminal 211 may indicate,using an indication provided in the user interface of client terminal211, that there are many available parking spaces in the area and thematch canceled. The indication is sent to arriving client terminal 215.

Then, optionally, as shown at 114, a transfer of the public parkingspace is identified by server 201. This may be done, for example, by aconfirmation received from arriving client terminal 215 and/or fromdeparting client terminal 211, and/or according to the speed of arrivingvehicle 225 and/or of departing vehicle 221. For example, when arrivingclient terminal 215 is substantially stationary at the location of thepublic parking space and departing client terminal 211 is moving at adriving speed, a transfer of the public parking space is identified.Optionally, the transfer of the public parking space is identified bycorrelating between movements of departing client terminal 211 and ofarriving client terminal 215, for example arriving vehicle 225 stopswhen departing vehicle 221 starts moving.

Optionally, commercial content is presented on the screens of departingclient terminal 211 and/or arriving client terminal 215, based on thelocation of client terminal 211, arriving client terminal 215 and/or thepublic parking space. The commercial content may include, for example,advertisement and/or suggestions of places such as shops, restaurantsand/or entertainment around these locations. The commercial content mayinclude advertisement and/or suggestions of places related to the otheruser. Optionally, commercial content related to the user of departingclient terminal 211 is presented on the screen of arriving clientterminal 215, for example, commercial content related to a place visitedby the user of departing client terminal 211 for example, a restaurantwhere the user ate and/or or a shop where the user shopped.

Optionally, the information of departing and arriving vehicles is sentto a system of the municipality, to assist in parking enforcement. Forexample, the system may indicate locations of vehicles parking longerthan permitted time period. Optionally, parking enforcement is doneautomatically for example by server 201 and/or by a system of themunicipality connected to server 201. Optionally, a street area may bedefined by the municipality exclusively for vehicles using the system.Optionally, an alert may be presented on the screen of departing clientterminal 211 when a parking enforcement agent is checking departingvehicle 221. Optionally, parking fee may automatically increase aspenalty for parking longer than permitted time period.

In an exemplary scenario of leaving a parking space, the user interfaceof departing client terminal 211 may include an input form that allowsthe user of departing client terminal 211 to provide an estimateddeparture time. The user interface may include a map indicating thelocation of departing vehicle 221 and the locations of client terminals215-218 is associated with a vehicle 225-228 currently moving, and maybe requiring a parking space. The user of departing client terminal 211may select one of client terminals 215-218 to transfer the parkingspace. Alternatively, a suggestion of a match may be presented to theuser, optionally presenting the selected arriving vehicle on the map.The suggestion may be changed and/or updated based on updated locationinformation. When a match is made, parking fee may stop increasing andmay start decreasing for the user of departing client terminal 211.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3, which is a schematic illustration of anexemplary user interface of arriving client terminal 215, according tosome embodiments of the present invention.

In an exemplary scenario of seeking a parking space, the user interfaceof arriving client terminal 215 may include an input form that allowsthe user of arriving client terminal 215 to provide an indication ofseeking a parking space, and optionally a desired area for parking. Theuser interface may include a map indicating the location of vehicles221-224 that may be departing and their estimated departure times. Themap may include, for example, color indications of vehicles 221-224, ofavailable parking spaces and/or any other indications. The user ofarriving client terminal 215 may select one of vehicles 221-224 toreceive the parking space. Alternatively, a suggestion of a possiblematch to one of vehicles 221-224 is presented to the user. Thesuggestion may be changed and/or updated based on updated locationinformation, to provide an optimal match. For example, a suggestion maybe made to match with departing vehicle 221 when arriving clientterminal 215 is far from the final parking destination, however whengetting closer to the parking area the suggestion changes and a finalmatch is made with departing vehicle 222. When a match is made, parkingfee may start increasing for the user of arriving client terminal 215.

Reference is also made to FIG. 4, which is a flowchart schematicallyrepresenting a method for calculating a parking fee in a public parkingspace, where the billing entity is changed before an actual transfer ofthe public parking space is done, according to some embodiments of thepresent invention. Reference is also made to FIG. 5, which is aschematic illustration of a system for calculating a parking fee in apublic parking space, according to some embodiments of the presentinvention. 501-503, 511-518 and 521-528 are as described above for201-203, 211-218 and 221-228.

First, as shown at 401, the location of multiple client terminals ismonitored, as described above for 101.

Then, as shown at 402, a command is created by server 501 to calculateparking fee is continuously increased for some or all of parked vehicles521-524, based on duration of occupying each public parking space. Thecommand may be directed and/or transferred to a billing system 504, forexample a billing system maintained by the municipality. Optionally, thecommand is created by departing client terminal 511 and/or by arrivingclient terminal 515, directly connected to billing system 504.Optionally, the parking fee is increased more rapidly when allowed orpredetermined time for evacuating the public parking space isapproaching and/or when the time has passed, so the parking fee isincreased as penalty for not evacuating the public parking space ontime. Optionally, the increasing may be slowed when a match with anarriving vehicle is found.

Then, as shown at 403-411, steps are made as described above for103-111.

Then, as shown at 412, a command is created to halt the increasing ofthe calculated parking fee for departing vehicle 521. The command may bedirected and/or transferred to billing system 504, as described above.Optionally, as shown at 413, a calculated parking fee is thencontinuously increased for arriving vehicle 525, starting from the timethe confirmation is received and based on duration of occupying thepublic parking space.

Optionally, the user of departing client terminal 511 may be creditedfor leaving the public parking space, for example by payment, points,credited parking time and/or any other method. The credit may becalculated according to parking area, parking time limit, time of dayand/or any other parameter. Optionally, the user of departing clientterminal 511 may be credited for the time period between the match andthe transfer of the public parking space, between the time of searchingfor a match and the transfer of the public parking space or between thetime of user of departing client terminal 511 arriving to departingvehicle 521 and the transfer of the public parking space (the waitingfor arriving vehicle 525). For example, the calculated parking fee fordeparting vehicle 521 may be reduced at the same or at a differentamount, such as double or triple, of the increase of the parking fee,based on the time of waiting for arriving vehicle 525. Optionally, thecredit may be decided by the user of departing client terminal 511, maybe limited or defined by the municipality and/or may be definedaccording to current parking demand. Credit may also be received by theuser of departing client terminal 511 when the time of paid parking isended or when the public parking space is in a free parking zone, forexample by points and/or by payment made by the user of arriving clientterminal 515.

Optionally, the credit of the user of departing client terminal 511 forleaving the public parking space is paid by the user of arriving clientterminal 515, by the municipality and/or a combination thereof.

Optionally, a business owner and/or other third party relating to thelocation of the public parking spot may pay for the credit, parking feeand/or other any other payment relating to the parking. For example,owner of a business located in proximity to the public parking spot maypay for the credit based on promotional material viewed by the usersand/or based on the users' visiting and/or shopping at the business.Optionally, the business owner and/or third party may facilitate a matchand a transfer of the public parking space. For example, the businessowner may help a customer currently in the business find a match with anarriving vehicle, for example belonging to a potential customercurrently arriving to the business and/or planning to arrive to thebusiness.

Then, as shown at 414, a transfer of the public parking space isidentified by server 501, as described above for 114.

Optionally, when a transfer of the public parking space is not performedas planned between departing vehicle 521 and arriving vehicle 525, thepayment, credit and/or halting of the increasing of the calculatedparking fee is canceled. Optionally, when a transfer of the publicparking space is not performed however a parking of arriving vehicle 525at the public parking space is identified, the credit of the user ofdeparting client terminal 511 for leaving the public parking space maystill be paid by the user of arriving client terminal 515 and/or penaltymay be inflicted on the user of arriving client terminal 515.

Optionally, the parking fee is decreased for the user of departingclient terminal 511 and/or user of arriving client terminal 515 when theusers agree to view commercial content, for example presented on thescreen(s) of the client terminal(s).The descriptions of the variousembodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes ofillustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to theembodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology usedherein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, thepractical application or technical improvement over technologies foundin the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the embodiments disclosed herein.

It is expected that during the life of a patent maturing from thisapplication many relevant methods and systems of managing parking spaceoccupancy will be developed and the scope of the term management ofparking space occupancy is intended to include all such new technologiesa priori.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, “including”, “having”and their conjugates mean “including but not limited to”. This termencompasses the terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”.

The phrase “consisting essentially of” means that the composition ormethod may include additional ingredients and/or steps, but only if theadditional ingredients and/or steps do not materially alter the basicand novel characteristics of the claimed composition or method.

As used herein, the singular form “a”, “an” and “the” include pluralreferences unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example,the term “a compound” or “at least one compound” may include a pluralityof compounds, including mixtures thereof.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance or illustration”. Any embodiment described as “exemplary” isnot necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otherembodiments and/or to exclude the incorporation of features from otherembodiments.

The word “optionally” is used herein to mean “is provided in someembodiments and not provided in other embodiments”. Any particularembodiment of the invention may include a plurality of “optional”features unless such features conflict.

Throughout this application, various embodiments of this invention maybe presented in a range format. It should be understood that thedescription in range format is merely for convenience and brevity andshould not be construed as an inflexible limitation on the scope of theinvention. Accordingly, the description of a range should be consideredto have specifically disclosed all the possible subranges as well asindividual numerical values within that range. For example, descriptionof a range such as from 1 to 6 should be considered to have specificallydisclosed subranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1 to 4, from 1 to 5, from2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6 etc., as well as individual numberswithin that range, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This appliesregardless of the breadth of the range.

Whenever a numerical range is indicated herein, it is meant to includeany cited numeral (fractional or integral) within the indicated range.The phrases “ranging/ranges between” a first indicate number and asecond indicate number and “ranging/ranges from” a first indicate number“to” a second indicate number are used herein interchangeably and aremeant to include the first and second indicated numbers and all thefractional and integral numerals therebetween.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, forclarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also beprovided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, variousfeatures of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in thecontext of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or inany suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other describedembodiment of the invention. Certain features described in the contextof various embodiments are not to be considered essential features ofthose embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without thoseelements.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specificembodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modificationsand variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scopeof the appended claims.

All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned in thisspecification are herein incorporated in their entirety by referenceinto the specification, to the same extent as if each individualpublication, patent or patent application was specifically andindividually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. Inaddition, citation or identification of any reference in thisapplication shall not be construed as an admission that such referenceis available as prior art to the present invention. To the extent thatsection headings are used, they should not be construed as necessarilylimiting. In addition, any priority document(s) of this applicationis/are hereby incorporated herein by reference in its/their entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for selecting and navigating a vehicleto a valid parking space, comprising: continuously monitoring ageographic location of each of a plurality of moving vehicles, movingoutside of a public parking facility, each identified by a respectiveone of a plurality of location sensors, the geographic location iscommunicated over the network to the parking management server;identifying among the plurality of moving vehicles a plurality ofarriving vehicles driven by users looking for a parking space; receivinga notification of a future departure of a parked vehicle from arespective the public parking space in said public parking facility;calculating a plurality of estimated arrival time events, each of theplurality of arrival time events is indicative of an estimated arrivaltime of a respective one of the plurality of arriving vehicles to thepublic parking space, each of the plurality of estimated arrival timeevents is calculated based on a monitored current location of therespective one of the plurality of arriving vehicles and based ondriving algorithms estimating traffic time of traffic in which saidrespective one of the plurality of arriving vehicles is driving;selecting one of the plurality of arriving vehicles to occupy the publicparking space instead of the parked vehicle based on the plurality ofestimated arrival time events, by matching each of the plurality ofestimated arrival time events to an estimated departure time of theparked vehicle, wherein the selected arriving vehicle has a closestestimated arrival time, among the plurality of estimated arrival times,to said estimated departure time of the parked vehicle; directing theselected arriving vehicle to the public parking space by: calculatingdriving instructions for navigating the selected arriving vehicle to thepublic parking space, wherein said driving instructions are adjusted tominimize time difference between the respective estimated arrival timeof said selected arriving vehicle and the estimated departure time ofthe parked vehicle, and transmitting the driving instructions to anavigation assistance user device associated with the selected arrivingvehicle so as to allow the navigation assistance user device to presentthe driving instructions on a screen.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: upon a detection of a parking approval from the selectedarriving vehicle: stop increasing a parking fee calculated for theparked vehicle in response, and start increasing a parking feecalculated for the selected arriving vehicle while the parked vehicle isstill parking in the public parking space.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the detection is of a time of receiving a message from a clientterminal associated with the selected arriving vehicle.
 4. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the detection is of a time of detecting a selectionmade using a client terminal associated with the selected arrivingvehicle.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving aconfirmation from a client terminal associated with the selectedarriving vehicle to occupy the public parking space; and whereindirecting the selected arriving vehicle to the public parking space isperformed in response to the confirmation.
 6. The method of claim 5,upon a detection of the confirmation: stop increasing a parking feecalculated for the parked vehicle in response, and start increasing aparking fee calculated for the selected arriving vehicle while theparked vehicle is still parking in the public parking space.
 7. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising: when a transfer of the publicparking space is not performed between the selected arriving vehicle andthe parked vehicle, the parking fee calculated for the parked vehicle isincreased.
 8. The method of claim 2, wherein commands for the increasingare originated from a billing system.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinthe selected arriving vehicle is an autonomous vehicle.
 10. The methodof claim 1, wherein the plurality of estimated arrival time events arecalculated based on an estimated walking time of a driver of the parkedvehicle to the public parking space.
 11. A non-transitory computerreadable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when loaded intoa computer, establish a machine performing: continuously monitoring ageographic location of a plurality of moving vehicles moving outside ofa public parking facility, each identified by a respective one of aplurality of location sensors, the geographic location is communicatedover the network to; identifying among the plurality of moving vehicles,a plurality of arriving vehicles driven by users looking for a parkingspace; receiving a notification of a future departure of a parkedvehicle from a respective the public parking space in said publicparking facility; calculating a plurality of estimated arrival timeevents, each of the plurality of arrival time events is indicative of anestimated arrival time of a respective one of the plurality of arrivingvehicles to the public parking space, each of the plurality of estimatedarrival time events is calculated based on a monitored current locationof the respective one of the plurality of arriving vehicles and based ondriving algorithms estimating traffic time of traffic in which saidrespective one of the plurality of arriving vehicles is driving;selecting one of the plurality of arriving vehicles to occupy the publicparking space instead of the parked vehicle based on the plurality ofestimated arrival time events, by matching each of the plurality ofestimated arrival time events to an estimated departure time of theparked vehicle, wherein the selected arriving vehicle has a closestestimated arrival time, among the plurality of estimated arrival times,to said estimated departure time of the parked vehicle; directing theselected arriving vehicle to the public parking space by: calculatingdriving instructions for navigating the selected arriving vehicle to thepublic parking space, wherein said driving instructions are adjusted tominimize time difference between the respective estimated arrival timeof said selected arriving vehicle and the estimated departure time ofthe parked vehicle, and transmitting the driving instructions to anavigation assistance user device associated with the selected arrivingvehicle so as to allow the navigation assistance user device to presentthe driving instructions on a screen.
 12. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the selected arrivingvehicle is an autonomous vehicle.
 13. A system of selecting andnavigating a vehicle to a parking space, comprising: a program storestoring code; and a processor coupled to the program store forimplementing the stored code, the code comprising: code for continuouslymonitoring a geographic location of a plurality of moving vehicles,moving outside of a public parking facility, each identified by arespective one of a plurality of location sensors, the geographiclocation is communicated over the network to the parking managementserver; code for identifying among the plurality of moving vehicles, aplurality of arriving vehicles driven by users looking for a parkingspace; code for receiving a notification of a future departure of aparked vehicle from a respective the public parking space in said publicparking facility; code for calculating a plurality of estimated arrivaltime events, each of the plurality of arrival time events is indicativeof an estimated arrival time of a respective one of the plurality ofarriving vehicles to the public parking space, each of the plurality ofestimated arrival time events is calculated based on a monitored currentlocation of the respective one of the plurality of arriving vehicles andbased on driving algorithms estimating traffic time of traffic in whichsaid respective one of the plurality of arriving vehicles is driving;code for selecting one of the plurality of arriving vehicles to occupythe public parking space instead of the parked vehicle based on theplurality of estimated arrival time events, by matching each of theplurality of estimated arrival time events to an estimated departuretime of the parked vehicle, wherein the selected arriving vehicle has aclosest estimated arrival time, among the plurality of estimated arrivaltimes, to said estimated departure time of the parked vehicle; code fordirecting the selected arriving vehicle to the public parking space by:code for calculating driving instructions for navigating the selectedarriving vehicle to the public parking space, wherein said drivinginstructions are adjusted to minimize time difference between therespective estimated arrival time of said selected arriving vehicle andthe estimated departure time of the parked vehicle, and code fortransmitting the driving instructions to a navigation assistance userdevice associated with the selected arriving vehicle so as to allow thenavigation assistance user device to present the driving instructions ona screen.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the selected arrivingvehicle is an autonomous vehicle.
 15. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid matching is done by identifying a most similar estimated arrivaltime event from the plurality of estimated arrival time events to theestimated departure time.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein saidselecting is based on a preferred location indicated by a user of atleast one of the plurality of arriving vehicles.
 17. The method of claim1, wherein when said estimated departure time is earlier than anestimated arrival time of said selected arriving vehicle, a user of saidparked vehicle is asked to wait for an arrival of said selected arrivingvehicle and wherein during said waiting time a calculated parking feefor said parked vehicle is continuously decreasing as an incentive forthe user of the waiting parked vehicle and a parking fee for saidselected arriving vehicle continuously increases.
 18. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said matching is additionally based on size of at leastone of said selected arriving vehicle, said parked vehicle and saidrespective public parking space.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein saidselecting is done according to at least one of a waiting list andbidding over said respective public parking space.
 20. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said public parking space is a member of a groupconsisting of: a street parking space managed by a city, a parking spaceinside a public parking lot, and a private parking space or a privatelyowned parking lot offered for temporary or permanent public use.